An Interview with ALUSB Guest Faculty Micheal Ikpoki

We had the honour of interviewing Former CEO of MTN Nigeria, Business Advisor and CEO of Africa Context Consulting, Micheal Ikpoki, in between his classes in March.

This video summarises Michael’s superb insights on some of the important nuances of doing business in Africa, gives excellent advice for rising leaders on the cusp of entering the “C-suite” and provides some context on why he chose to teach at ALU School of Business.

Interview extracts:

What is the key to doing business in Africa, that most people overlook?

“Actions from the regulator and government are the biggest risk to any business, bigger than the risk of market actions…we are all trained to deal with the competition but as leaders we are not well-equipped to deal with others issues in the external environment, namely government and regulatory issues”.

What brought you to teach at the ALU School of Business?

“It’s very clear that if you look across Africa there’s a lot of positive movements taking place and governments are becoming more accountable. citizens are now beginning to ask for change and in the midst of that there’s going to be a lot more expectations on companies and business leaders need to live up to that. That is where the gap is and what you are doing here at African Leadership University…trying to create Africa-centric leaders is critical and a big gap that we need to fill”.

What advice do you have for someone joining the C-Suite or making a partner for the first time?

I would capture it in one word, “PRESENCE”. Now your decisions have a lot more impact….you affect the lives of more people, because people now look up to you, you become a role model, it becomes your responsibility to cultivate more role models across the organisation”.

"For me ALUSB goes beyond the learning. It's a network that will be enriching for the rest of your life." - David Wafula '18, CFO, Africa Thermal at ContourGlobal
Watch David's story here: bit.ly/2L0Qut8#ALUSB18

"The big global insurance companies have been excited about Africa for some time now" - Delphine Maidou, COO, Allianz Africa. The potential for mitigating risk in agriculture, health and motor industries on the continent. #LearnLead#TheAfricanCenturybbc.co.uk/programmes/p06…